Portable sewing machines



NOV. 5, 1957 LUTZ PORTABLE'SEWING MACHINES Filed May 3, 1955 FIG. 2

FIG.

United States Patent PORTABLE SEWING MACHINES Friedrich Lutz, Stuttgart-Degerloch, Germany, assignor to Union Special Maschinenfabrik, G. m. b. H., Stuttgart, Wurttemberg, Germany Application May 3, 1955, Serial No. 505,625

Claims priority, application Germany May 29, 1954 2 Claims. (Cl. 112-11) This invention relates to portable sewing machines adapted to be held and guided by the hand of the operator in the course of forming seams, as in the closing of filled bags. It relates, more particularly, to improved means for supporting the machine so as to minimize the strain upon the hand and arm of the operator in carrying the machine and guiding the same along the edges of the work to be seamed.

Relatively lightweight sewing machines have heretofore been devised which are adapted to be carried by the hand of the operator in the course of seaming articles to be stitched, but in spite of the lightweight construction of such machines their use and manipulation have placed quite a strain upon the hand and arm of the operator and have led to fatigue of the operator in a relatively short working period. This has necessitated rather frequent rest intervals and has seriously reduced the overall output of the machines.

A primary object of the present invention has been to provide a supporting means for a sewing machine, of the character indicated, which enables the machine to be carried about freely by the operator and to be held and guided by the operator in proper relation to the edges of the work to be seamed, without applying any appreciable strain to the hand and arm by which the machine is held and guided. Through the use of the invention the fatigue of the operator is reduced to a minimum and the necessity for frequent rest periods is eliminated.

The foregoing may be very simply achieved by suspending the machine from an elastic belt placed around the neck of the operator and depending from his shoulders. The belt is of such length that it normally retains the machine, when not in use to produce a desired seam, slightly above the level of the edges of the bags or other work to be seamed. When it is desired to form a seam the operator simply depresses the machine slightly by exerting sufficient pressure only to stretch the elastic belt to position the stitch forming devices in proper relation to the work. Little effort is required to do this and to guide the machine along the edges to be seamed. Thus the strength of the operatoris conserved and he is enabled to operate the machine over relatively long periods so that a high output of the machine is maintained. It shouldbe noted in connection with the foregoing that the elastic belt supports the weight of the sewing machine both during the seaming operations and during intervals in which the machine is idle. Moreover, the force required to depress the machine to the extent necessary to bring it into proper cooperation with the work is so small that it adds very little to the load applied to the shoulders or the neck of the operator.

An important further feature of the invention is that the elastic belt is made adjustable in length to accommodate the same to operators of different height and to enable the machine to be used most efiectively and conveniently in the seaming of bags or other articles which present the edges to be stitiched at different levels.

2,811,938 Patented Nov. 5, 1957 Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view showing a sewing machine suspended by means of an elastic belt from the neck and shoulders of an operator, the machine being in its nonoperative or idle position; and

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the machine applied by the operator to a filled bag for closing the same.

Referring now to the drawings, a sewing machine 1 adapted particularly for the closing of filled bags may be of any suitable construction and may be driven in any desired way. It may, for example, incorporate a motor which receives current from an appropriate power source through a cable Id. In accordance with the invention the sewing machine is carried by means of an elasticstrap 2 which extends around the back of the neck of the operator, over his shoulders and then downwardly in front of the operator. The length of the strap is such that when it is simply subjected to the weight of the sewing machine the latter will be suspended in a position slightly above the top 3 of a bag to be stitched to close the same. The ends of the strap are brought together to form an endless loop and are secured together by means of a buckle or clasp 2a of any suitable type. This arrangement is such that the extent of overlap of the ends of the strap may be varied to adjust the length of the strap in accordance with the height of the operator and the elevation of the top 3 of the bag to be stitched.

When the operator is ready to close the bag by an appropriate seaming operation the machine is turned into the position indicated in Fig. 2 and a U-shaped throat 1b, having its open end extending downwardly, is applied over the top of the bag adjacent the left hand edge as seen in the drawings. If desired the machine may be set into operation to provide a section of thread chain in advance of the edge of the bag and the seam then continues through the walls of the bag which extend upwardly into the throat 1b. The machine is provided with suitable stitch forming devices including a needle 1a (Fig. l) and it may be equipped with suitable work feeding devices, such as a feed dog and presser foot (not shown), which serve to advance the machine automatically toward the right (Fig. 2) to form the stitch indicated, along the line of travel of the needle 1a.

At the top of the frame of the sewing machine there is provided a suitable handle 10 by which the machine may be grasped and held by the operator. This handle is provided with a suitable eyelet 4 through which the elastic strap 2 is passed to retain the sewing machine. Eyelet 4 is preferably located in a position outside of the region in which the handle is grasped by the operator so that it will not interfere with the functioning of the handle. If desired the eyelet 4 may be applied to some other portion of the frame of the machine.

During the seaming operation the handle 10 of the sewing machine is grasped and the machine is pressed downwardly with the throat 1b fitting over the top of the bag, in the manner explained, to the extent desired to provide the appropriate line of stitching. In so depressing the sewing machine the elastic strap 2 is stretched slightly. The force required to accomplish this, however, is relatively small when the length of the strap is appropriately adjusted. This downward force may be much more readily applied by the operator than the lifting force required to carry the weight of the sewing machine and hold it in proper position, if the strap were absent or even if a non-elastic strap were employed of suflicient length to permit the machine to assume the sewing position indicated in Fig. 2. The operator may stand substantially erect in performing the seaming operation and may use his left hand to assist in holding the top of the bag in proper position as the seam is being formed.

1. A portable sewing machine having a frame provided with a handle for carrying and guiding said machine in the formation of a line of stitching at a predetermined level, and an elastic strap connected with said frame adapted to suspend the machine normally slightly above the line of stitch formation with the handle positioned at substantially arms length downwardly from the shoulders of the operator, said strap forming. a loop arranged to extend around the back of the neck and over the shoulders of the operator of the machine and to suspend the machine from the shoulders in a manner enabling 15 ready movement of said machine along a substantially horizontal line across the front of the operator, and said strap having means for varying the length thereof to position the machine normally at a predetermined elevation above the line of stitch formation in conformity with. the height of the shoulders of the operator.

2. A portable sewing machine of the character set forth in claim 1 in which the elastic strap is connected with the handle for carrying and guiding the machine in a region outside of the portion of said handle which is gripped by the operator, the branches of the loop formed by said strap having substantially equal elasticity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 609,7 3 1 Carley Aug. 23, 1898 2,484,495 Fischbein' Oct. 11, 1949 2,566,464 Redenback Sept. 4, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,101,769 France Oct. 11, 1955 

